The Electra Forums

Hello everybody, my name's Matt, and I just got a 2227 hollow body, I'll be posting pics soon. It does have a few issues, an I'd appreciate any information and advice.
The previous owner super glued the bridge to the body at each end, I don't think he super glued the base of the bridge down, just a strip at each end of the bridge. Does anyone know of anything that removes super glue without damaging the finish? If not, I was thinking of using an exacto knife and carefully cutting through the super glue to remove the bridge, then taping the body off around the super glue and sanding it down, then polishing it. I used to do auto work for a living, and I'm pretty confident that I can make it almost perfect, but if anyone has any other ideas, I'd love to hear them.
Another thing is the neck has been shimmed, and it's very noticeable, you can easily see that the neck is cocked, and it looks like almost 1/16" wood shim in there. The action is very low, I wouldn't mind if it was a little higher, but the bridge is adjusted all the way down. The previous owner said that the bridge might not be original. Any advise besides putting a smaller shim in it and adjusting the truss rod? What about sanding the bridge down?
The other thing is the pickups look P90's with 6 screws on one side and flat poles (like a regular screwdriver tip) on the other side. They look like the ones in the models section, but it also says that the early ones had a single coil with chrome humbucker sized covers over them. Does anyone know if they came with the style I described also? I just traded for the guitar today, and I haven't started tinkering with it yet, so I haven't pulled the pickups.
I appreciate any responses I get.
Thanks,
Matt

I don't know what the standard pickups where but may be able to help with the neck and bridge.

Acetone is a good bet for super glue if you can get it where it is needed. It should not impact a poly finish but could mar laquer. See if you can test it in an inconspicuous place (in that neck pocket you ar thinking of working on perhaps). Heat can also help break a super glue joint but it is difficult to generate enough heat without harming a finish or the wood. It is good for glued in frets though. If the bridge is properly placed and in good shape, you may want to keep it the way it is. I don't think super glue, being very thin, would materialy impact your tone or sustain.

A picture of the neck pocket would help. A 1/16" shim is actualy fairly thick. It is not unusual for hollowbody bolt necks to require a shim. The neck pocket distorts from the string presure and there is less to hold it then on a solid body. Since it is a bolt neck you could just remove the ship (most are not glued in place) and see what it is like. If it needs the shim, you should be able to craft a less visable one by shaving a thin sliver of wood to act as a shim. After you have it sized corectly, finish the edge that shows to match the guitar. Good luck and pics please.

Good looking guitar. The bridge looks pretty new. Is the bridge supposed to be glued or does it float?

_________________
SlmGuy

Thanks for the responses. I think the bridge is newer, and it's supposed to be floating. The bridge is supposed to be the same distance from the 12th fret as the distance from the nut to 12th fret, right? If that's correct, it's not in the right position. Thanks for the acetone tip Workingman, I'll try that out. By the way, I traded a used epiphone LP100 (estimate value at $200.00, sells for $300.00 new) for this. I don't know what this is worth, but I like it a lot better. My other guitars are an '83 Ibanez Roadstar, and a '79 Peavey T-60, I'm real happy with them too.

Hey there and welcome to the forum =)

You are correct, that model is supposed to have a floating bridge. It looks as though the floating portion of your bridge is original, and someone simply replaced the roller bridge with a tune-o-matic. That's actually pretty clever; take my word for it, the roller bridge SUCKED. Your pickups are the stock single coil variety. Good advice from Workingman, he knows what he's talking about. IMHO, shims are almost required for that model. Not to say that it's a good a shim, it could very well be an over correction, but as Workingman said it's incredibly simple to adjust shims. Sanding the bridge is also not a bad idea, and if you work slowly and pay attention I'm confident you could get a really decent set up (sorry, but I can almost guarantee the truss rod will need adjustment too.. and if you're going to go that far, you may as well cut a new nut =P). As for the question of whether or not you should mess with the bridge - to me it's a question of intonation and playability. If it doesn't play in tune up the neck and you aren't happy with the setup, I'd say go for it.

On a side note, that model was my first Electra, and I'm disappointed to say that I've found huge variance within the line. Not necessarily in the construction, which is pretty uniform, but in the playability. I was lucky enough to recieve one that already had a decent setup. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be an Electra owner today. Unfortunately, it seems I got lucky. That being said, I still think you made a fair trade: an entry level epiphone for an entry level Electra . I have 3-4 complete guitars worth of spare parts for that model, so if something goes bad feel free to hit me up.

Regards,
Oreo

Thanks Oreo, I'll PM you if I find anything I need.